Mark Bittman Moves to Vegan Meal Delivery Startup to Help Americans ‘Eat More Plants’
Columnist, author, and chef Mark Bittman left his New York Times column earlier this year. At the time, he was vague about his plans, stating only that he would “take a central role in a year-old food company, to do what I’ve been writing about these many years: to make it easier for people to eat more plants.”
Now, Bittman has revealed where he’s going: a company called Purple Carrot, a food delivery startup seeking to make it easier for families to eat healthier meals.
Purple Carrot is one of a number of vegan, plant-based food delivery companies to crop up in recent years. And while not a vegan himself, Bittman is well-known for his “vegan before 6 pm” philosophy which he extolls in his book “VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6:00 pm to Lose Weight & Restore Your Health for Good.”
Similar to (non-vegan) Blue Apron, Purple Carrot delivers parsed-out ingredients that simplify the home-cooking process without being a completely prepared meal. Known as “meal kits,” companies like Purple Carrot are raising a lot of money as Americans seek to eat healthier and cleaner. (Blue Apron is valued at more than $2 billion right now.)
Bittman will serve as Purple Carrot’s chief innovation officer, working with meal design, among other things. The Boston-based company has recently expanded its service to the West Coast, and says its service is available in “more than 70 percent of the country.”
Meal kits from Purple Carrot start at $68 (meals for two, three times per week) and $74 for a family of four (twice a week).
Bittman told Civil Eats that he thinks “it’s a shame that not everyone will be able to afford it, but I think those who can afford it will find it worthwhile.”
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purple carrots image via Shutterstock
